Carillon Historical Park

45409 Dayton, OH, United States of America (USA) (Ohio)

Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre open-air history museum that serves as the main campus for Dayton History. It shares the amazing stories of how Dayton changed the world!

Carillon Park Railroad
This nearly mile-long, 3’ narrow gauge rail network is equipped with a replica 1851 locomotive capable of carrying 120 guests on a narrated circle tour of Carillon Historical Park’s exhibit buildings. This project features a loading station at Bowling Green station, a 100’ long triple-cell ConSpan bridge, two open-air coaches, rare views of Carillon Park, and passage through the Old Montgomery Co. Fairgrounds Horse Barn No. 17.

Heritage Center of Dayton Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship
is themed around innovation, manufacturing, industry, engineering, and invention. And the focus of the Heritage Center rests on five main individuals: John H. Patterson, Orville & Wilbur Wright, Charles F. Kettering, and Colonel Edward A. Deeds.

By the turn of the century, Dayton had more patents, per capita, than any U.S. city, and one-sixth of the nation’s corporate executives had spent a portion of their career at legendary Dayton company National Cash Register (NCR). Beginning in the mid-1800s, Dayton established itself as a center of manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Companies such as NCR, the Barney & Smith Car Company, McCall’s Publishing, DELCO, the Wright Company, and the Huffy Corporation set Dayton apart in innovation and forward thinking.

Wright Brothers National Museum
The John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers National Museum has more Wright artifacts on display than any other place in the world, including the 1905 Wright Flyer III: the only airplane designated a National Historic Landmark, the first practical flying machine, and what the Wright brothers considered their most important aircraft.

Referred to as “the first pilot’s last project,” preserving the 1905 Wright Flyer III for Carillon Historical Park was Orville Wright’s last major project before he died on January 30, 1948. And while Orville died before Carillon Park was opened in 1950, he had a hand in designing Wright Hall—the building that houses the 1905 Wright Flyer III.

Adjacent to Wright Hall is Carillon Historical Park’s Wright bicycle shop—a replica of Wilbur and Orville’s fifth and final store at 1127 W. Third St. in West Dayton. In 1936, with Orville’s endorsement, Henry Ford purchased the original building, and in 1938, it was moved from 1127 W. Third Street and dedicated at Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Carillon Park’s cycle shop resembles how the Wright brothers’ store would have appeared between mid-October to mid-December 1901.

The James F. Dicke Family Transportation Center
houses the 1835 B&O #1, John Quincy Adams (the oldest existing American-built locomotive), a breathtaking Barney & Smith parlor railcar, an authentic Conestoga wagon, and many other exceptional transportation-themed artifacts.

Many chapters of transportation history are celebrated at Carillon Historical Park’s James F. Dicke Family Transportation Center—from our nation’s rail history to Ohio’s pioneer history to Dayton’s unique spot in claiming the oldest, continuously-operating, electrically-propelled public transit system. Designed to resemble both a train station and a roundhouse, the Transportation Center houses many of Carillon Historical Park’s original artifacts, and guests are welcome to walk through many of the artifacts on display.

The Print Shop
The Carillon Historical Park Print Shop is the nation’s only fully operational 1930s letterpress job shop in a museum. With authentic 1930s printing equipment and furnishings, the Print Shop harkens to a time when Dayton had 77 printing companies, ranging from one-person operations to McCall’s, which produced 4 million magazines daily, including Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, and Popular Science.

By 1937, printing was the second largest industry in the United States. Due to the abundant water supply available, Dayton was heavily involved in the printing industry. In fact, as it was more cost-effective to print near the location of the paper mills, 25 of Ohio’s 36 paper mills were located right here in the Miami Valley.

The Great 1913 Flood Exhibit
The Great 1913 Flood was Ohio’s worst natural disaster; waters reached 20 feet in low-lying areas and rushed up to 25 miles-per-hour. Gas lines broke, fires roared across town, and the Great Miami River swelled to more than a mile wide on either side. While over 1,400 horses died, the region only accounted for 361 human casualties, largely due to NCR’s massive relief efforts.

The Great 1913 Flood Exhibit speaks to disaster, perseverance, and heroism. By bringing together numerous Flood-related artifacts, it tells the story of a grief-stricken city banding together to rise above adversity.

Nestled at the mouth of five waterways, Dayton had flooded many times in its history. But NCR Founder and President John H. Patterson could sense the 1913 Flood was much more serious. Before the levee broke, he began the organization of his NCR factory into a relief station and ordered his carpentry department to construct flat-bottomed john boats (over 200 were built). Over the ensuing days, thousands of refugees were given shelter, food, clothing, medical care, shoe shines, haircuts, and more. The NCR garage was turned into a temporary morgue. Aid stations were also set up at the University of Dayton and other locations throughout Dayton.

Carillon Historical Park founder Colonel Edward A. Deeds led the effort to create the Miami Conservancy District (MCD)—an intricate system of Miami Valley dams—and through his efforts, the project came to fruition. On May 25 and 26, 1913, the citizens of Dayton gathered outside the Old Court House, privately raising over $2 million to help build the MCD. Designed by civil engineer Arthur E. Morgan (who was also the first Tennessee Valley Authority chairman), the MCD has kept the Dayton region flood-free for over 100 years.

History on the Hill & Moraine Trails
The History on the Hill Interpretive Center tells the story of the land on which Carillon Historical Park sits—its geological history, its settlement by the prehistoric Hopewell people, and its use as a segment of the Miami and Erie Canal. Featuring a number of exhilarating tunnel slides and the Archeology Adventure Zone, History on the Hill has become a popular spot for guests of all ages.

Complete with picturesque walking trails, wild flowers, idyllic shelters, historical artifacts, geological remnants, and a breathtaking bird’s eye view of Carillon Historical Park and the city of Dayton, the Moraine Trails are the Park’s best-kept-secret.

The History on the Hill exhibit highlights the evolution and cultivation of the Carillon Historical Park property and the remnants of the quarantine hospital and ancient Hopewell earthen enclosure that once stood on the grounds.

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